Mr. Abbott's Lecture.

In his lecture, last night, in Jefferson Physical Laboratory, on "The Training of the College and the Law School as a preparation for the profession of the Law," Mr. Abbott said that the common idea that the main business of the lawyer consisted in trying cases in court was entirely erroneous. The great characteristic of our age is the tendency to combination, resulting in our railroads and other corporations. As these corporate bodies have increased in size and importance, their relations with the state and with individuals have grown more and more complex, until now men of great legal knowledge must be placed in control of these corporations in order to steer them safely through the mazes of the law. The constantly increasing number of patents, and the questions raised by the development of electric heating and lighting, have opened new fields for the lawyer. In order to succeed in these branches of the law, a lawyer must be familiar with science. General education is very necessary, and the mere study of old books is not enough, for new laws are constantly being formed out of custom, and a bird's eye view of all knowledge is of great practical importance in deciding upon the many novel cases which are constantly arising. The systematic training of the mind, such as only given by a college course, is of especial importance to the lawyer. No study is a waste of time, and it is impossible to say which will prove most useful. By a accidental knowledge of Norman-French, a Chicago lawyer saved $130, 000 to his clients. The breadth of view, and the tendency to a liberal and reasonable cast of mind, which generally accompany a university education, always increase the chances of success in any profession. A cultured man is sure of his knowledge, and his decisions are prompt and accurate, while those of an ignorant man are apt to be hesitating and unreliable.

The training given in the Harvard Law School is especially valuable because of the independent atmosphere of the Massachusetts judiciary. Here, too, law and equity exist side by side instead of the codes of other states which fuse the two. The United States courts, however, have a large equity practice, and, as most of the important cases are tried in these courts, a knowledge of equity is almost indispensable.

The man who is drawn to any profession merely by the expectation of profit is very likely to be disappointed. To others the law forms a most attractive and fascinating pursuit. Certainly the maintenance and development of justice is the pleasantest of all occupations.